Hurricane Francine devastates Louisiana with strong winds and life-threatening flooding

NEW ORLEANS – Hurricane Francine slammed into the Louisiana coast on Wednesday with damaging winds of 100 mph and a dangerous storm surge, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of customers and bringing several inches of rain that caused flash flooding.

The eye of Francine moved ashore in Terrebonne Parish at 5:00 p.m. CT, bringing hurricane-force winds inland to the southern region of the state near Baton Rouge.

Hurricane Francine makes landfall on Wednesday, September 11, 2024.

New Orleans reported gusts of 78 and 76 mph as Francine’s eyewall passed through the city Wednesday night, while Dulac recorded a gust of 97 mph.

After making landfall, the cyclone quickly weakened to a tropical storm, but its effects are likely to spread far inland.

WATCH: Hurricane Francine hits Louisiana with fierce winds and torrential rain

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According to PowerOutage.us, power outages have been on the rise in Louisiana, with over 300,000 reported as of Wednesday evening. The number of outages is expected to continue to rise as Francine moves further north, affecting southeast Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Nearby, a flash flood emergency was declared for parts of the New Orleans metro, where 0.5 inches of rain fell in just nine minutes and 4.5 inches in three hours, with rain continuing and life-threatening flooding possible.

Hurricane Francine: Landing satellite

(NOAA)

Louisiana authorities urged residents to stay in their homes until emergency responders could safely reach them if needed. Conditions caused by Francine also brought with them the threat of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms, which were expected to last through Friday morning.

Francine halts travel in New Orleans while emergency responders stand by

In addition to the power outages, airlines canceled flights to and from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport through Thursday morning.

A curfew was imposed in some communities from Wednesday afternoon until sunrise on Thursday, including the community of Cameron, where flooding occurred before the hurricane made landfall.

Before Francine’s arrival, President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for the Bayou State.

“After declaring a state of emergency, we have now concluded that this storm is so severe that an effective response is beyond the capabilities of state and local governments,” said Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry. “This federal assistance is necessary to save lives and property.”

Where does Francine go next?

The NHC said Francine is expected to gradually drift northward, with the center of Francine reaching southeastern Louisiana and southwestern and central Mississippi on Thursday.

The center of circulation is expected to remain well inland, but the storm’s impacts could extend for hundreds of miles.

Louisiana residents desperately search for supplies ahead of Hurricane Francine

As the remnants of the cyclone make their way through the South, weather advisories including wind warnings, flood warnings and other hazardous weather forecasts have been issued as far north as southern Missouri and as far east as Tennessee.

Including Francine, eight hurricanes have made landfall in Louisiana since 2000. FOX weather correspondent Robert Ray has reported on most of these landfalls.

“These guys are tough,” Ray, of Houma, Louisiana, said Wednesday.

Francine became a hurricane on September 10, marking the peak of the 2024 hurricane season, when a named storm is most likely to move through the Atlantic basin. As Francine moves north and eventually dissipates, the NHC is also monitoring several other systems in the Atlantic.

Francine was the third hurricane to make landfall in the Americas during the 2024 season. Hurricane Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 cyclone near Matagorda, Texas, on July 8. About a month later, Hurricane Debby strengthened into a Category 1 cyclone before making landfall near Steinhatchee, Florida, on August 5.